Anything Less Than A Run
by Kachanski
Summary: Naruto has never taken life at anything less than a run, which is why his uncertainty regarding his room mate, Sasuke, is so strange. It takes a train journey with an old friend to remind him what he should do.


**Greetings! Despite what it may appear at first, this is a SasuNaru...although it could probably pass as a Naruto/Gaara friendship thingy too...**

**Thanks to Redbull07 for reading it through for me and I hope you all enjoy it!**

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Naruto hurried through the milling crowds standing on the platform, using his large orange suitcase as a battering ram where necessary, the announcements about delays and arrivals a forgotten drone to his ears as he desperately searched for the distinctive mop of red hair which would signal out his travelling companion, hoping more than everything else that he hadn't missed his train and his friend along with it, who wasn't exactly the sort to wait longer than necessary.

Eventually he sighted his friend, his small frame almost obscured in the middle of the huge crowd, arms crossed and eyes closed in an expression of pained patience. As the blonde fell through the solid wall of people into the small empty area near the edge of the platform the redhead opened his eyes, looking disapprovingly at the other. "Naruto. You're late."

Naruto grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry Gaara, but you see, I had to say bye to everyone, and then I forgot something…"

With a shake of his head Gaara turned around and walked away, with Naruto close on his heels, at a punishing pace, ignoring the others whines and protestations until they reached their train and were safely aboard.

"My legs!" With a groan Naruto sank into the leather seats, his protestations reduced to the bare minimum until he caught his breath. When he finally did he looked reproachfully at his companion sitting opposite him. "Did you have to go so fast? I ran all the way to the station before I found you."

"Did you want to miss the only train for five hours?" Came the blunt reply.

Naruto snorted and leaned back, "You're so melodramatic" he muttered, defeated but unwilling to admit it. There was one thing that he did have to admit though. Since he had started meeting Gaara to travel back to University after holidays he had been back in time for the beginning of the term far often than not, with only the time he had got on the wrong train and the time Gaara had been unwell and unable to plan the trip to blemish an almost perfect record. The redhead was the sort of person who planned for every, and when he said every he meant _every,_ eventuality, meaning that even with the travelling disaster which went by the name of Naruto they were able to get to their destination with little trouble.

After a few moments of silence while the train pulled away Naruto leaned forward again. "So, how were your family?"

Gaara didn't reply straight away, and when he did speak he didn't turn to face his companion but continued to look out of the window. "Fine. How are yours?"

Naruto grinned, that was about as much of an answer he was going to get out of his taciturn friend. "Iruka? He's good." He paused before adding slyly "Sakura's doing fine too; she's doing a degree in medicine somewhere, she's really grown since the last time I saw her."

"That's good to hear." Gaara replied politely as he turned to look at Naruto. "And you can wipe that look off your face." He added curtly "I don't know where you got the idea that I have feelings for Sakura, but as I've told you a number of times, I do not."

Naruto adopted a worldly expression and crossed his arms. "Suuure…"

"I do not." Gaara's tone was quiet but to his secret delight Naruto noticed that the normally unflappable redhead was looking a little flustered, with an almost unnoticeable shade of pink colouring his pale cheeks.

"Fine, fine" The blonde said diplomatically. "By the way…I saw your room mate while I was at home, what's his name?"

"Lee."

"Yeah! Lee, he seemed fun."

Gaara folded arms, his face twisting with disapproval. "He is loud and disruptive. Not to mention the fact that I can't keep alcohol anywhere in case he drinks it by accident."

Cocking his head Naruto regarded his friend carefully. "But you like him all the same." He noted. When his companion didn't reply he grinned. "I can tell. When you really don't like someone you narrow your eyes, and you don't complain about them, you just say you don't like them."

With a small shrug Gaara turned back to the window, silence falling over the almost empty carriage. Naruto fidgeted uncomfortably, looking at his friend, then at the suitcases, then out of the window.

Finally he blurted "I wish me and Sasuke were like that." He reddened slightly when Gaara's aqua eyes turned onto him questioningly. "Well, I just wish things were as clear cut as you have them. I mean, you pretend you don't like him, and he ignores it and you get along in a weird way…"

Gaara looked confused "You call that clear cut?"

Naruto looked petulant. "It's better than what I have." He hesitated, wondering if he should share his worries with his friend, or keep them to himself. "It was fine until a while ago, but then…one night, when we were drunk, we kinda kissed…" he stopped, waiting for a comment. When none came he continued. "I…I really liked it, but he…he acts as if nothing happened." He sighed "The uncertainty is killing me. I don't know what to do."

Silence reigned as Gaara turned back to the window, watching the trees speed past until Naruto found himself wondering if this was the redhead's way of saying he didn't care. Finally he spoke. "Do what you want."

At the unexpected comment Naruto felt angry and more than a little hurt. He knew that his friend could be blunt and tactless, and that he really didn't have much time for Sasuke, but he hadn't expected him to be so dismissive and cold. That was the old Gaara, the one who got into fights at school and refused to talk to anyone, not the Gaara he knew now.

Before he could say anything Gaara spoke again, his voice thoughtful. "You have always struck me as the sort of person who acts before thinking. Who follows their heart, believing it to be a better judge than their mind; nothing has to make sense to you, it just has to feel right."

He turned to Naruto, his green-blue eyes, still faintly ringed with the tell-tale lines of insomnia, piercing the blonde. "It seems strange that you should be thinking about this so much. You are very perceptive; you understand people in a way I could never hope to. You should do what you want to, what your heart says it wants to do, not what you think is the most acceptable."

Struck speechless Naruto could only stare as his friend shrugged and turned back to the passing scenery. The blonde was continually amazed by the little snippets of wisdom the redhead gave out sometimes. He might be a social retard most of the time, but sometimes, listening to him, Naruto had to conclude that looking in from the outside for most of your life, without making any effort to get in, gave you in insight that those on the inside could never have.

They spent the rest of the journey in a comfortable silence, only interrupted by the occasional moments of chatter and fidgeting when Naruto became restless, which became more and more frequent as they neared their destination. When the train finally arrived Naruto leapt up before it stopped, almost losing his balance and toppling onto Gaara. When after what felt like an age the doors opened he ran out, shouting his thanks and a farewell to his bemused friend.

Gaara sighed and picked up Naruto's abandoned luggage as well as his own. "He's not going to disappear if you go at anything less than a run" he muttered, heading towards his room. He was sure Naruto would come and collect his missing possessions at some point, and it probably wasn't a good idea to drop it round, judging from the blonde's expression as he had left.

****

Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose as he heard the pounding on the stairs that heralded the arrival of the blond idiot who shared his room. It was strange, he contemplated, but the heavy footsteps sounded a little more hurried than they usually did, and a lot more than they had recently, where the blonde had almost dragged his feet when making his way back to his room in the evenings.

On cue, Naruto burst into the room, panting and a little wild eyed. He had no suitcase, Sasuke noted, no doubt Gaara would appear with it tomorrow, but before Sasuke could react Naruto had crossed the room in three large strides and grabbed his hair, pulling him forward and pressing his lips against Sasuke's with a strange sort of reckless abandon which spoke completely of nerves.

Despite the shock of being suddenly grabbed Sasuke found himself smirking. So the Dobe had finally gathered up the courage to do something. It had taken him long enough. He pulled away from the blonde slowly, still smirking as he saw the mixture of hope and fear in the others eyes now that the initial rush of adrenaline had worn off. "Took you long enough" he muttered "I thought you'd never admit it."

His smile only widened as Naruto's expression changed to confused and then to embarrassed. "You knew?"

Sasuke nodded. "I knew for a long time Dobe."

"Teme" was all Naruto could manage before Sasuke pulled him in for another, longer, kiss. It was only then that he realised that in his hurry to act he had left his suitcase on the train.

But somehow, the prospect of missing luggage, in the face of Sasuke's warm lips and questing tongue, didn't seem important anymore.

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**As always, reviews are greatly appreciated and I would love to hear what you thought of this. After all lots of reviews makes a happy writer!**


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